Write the World Review

YOU'LL ALWAYS BE FROM ALABAMA

LEE GAINES (United States)

you cannot escape the South.

you may leave it, but it never leaves you.

RE AD

WHEN NOBODY'S LOOKING

MARIANA SANTIBAÑEZ (Mexico)

Spring shoots out of a flock of robins,

even when nobody's looking.

R EAD

CHANGE

LYAT MELESE (United States)

Change is unexpected.

Like the day I was told we were moving.

R EAD

HIBERNATION

SHERRY SHU (Canada)

He scuttled furiously from beneath the undergrowth, pausing to catch his breath.

R EAD

HIMALAYAS IN JALANDHAR

NEERAJA KUMAR (India)

I never imagined they could be so close

behind the smoggy sky

READ

MY PARENTS CONSIDER

OTTAVIA PALUCH (Canada)

People evaporate.

But not as quickly as water

R EAD

7 BILLION PEOPLE

LIORA SCOP (South Africa)

They say that 7 billion people stayed home today

2.2 billion children stayed out of school

R EAD

STARS AND CEREAL

ANNA O'CONNOR (Ireland)

I do not see the stars from where I stand

but I know they are there.

R EAD

DON'T YOU SWAT AT A FLY

ARIA MALLARE (United States)

Don't you mindlessly shoot that harmless creature to the ground.

R EAD

THE RAIN AND THE REVERIE

TULA SINGER (Cuba)

"We're leaving," she said. "We're going to move in with Ahmad in New York."

R EAD

SPOKEN

HANNAH LING (Malaysia)

I believe in the power of words to come flying:

swans whooping as they pass

R EAD

THE ARMOURY

AMALIA COSTA (United Kingdom)

Two global diseases I have lived through now; the first was financial, this one respiratory.

Together, Write the World’s community of over 40,000 young writers is traversing a historic time. The pandemic disrupts the orderly flow of time while widespread racial and social injustice challenge basic principles of equality. This intersection of medical and social contagion creates an extraordinary moment for young writers. In response to physical isolation, they build private perches of self-reflection. And their fresh eyes see that the urgency of social reform calls for shared public expression. This chaotic time of peril and change has laid bare what’s important—and what’s unacceptable.

This issue of Write the World Review captures the perspectives of young writers careening through this uncharted time. Are lockdowns freeing or restricting? How has the pandemic changed their view of life’s certainty? How do they adapt to adversity? What systemic change do they envision, and how do they hope to make it happen?

The whole world seems in disarray these days. But other pieces in this issue remind us that teenagers, on a personal level, are living through adolescent years characterized by unexpected physical and emotional changes. One writer describes her family’s move from a beloved home to a new country, while another writer describes a journey of discovering identity. Young writer Lyat Melese notes the dichotomy that, “change can hurt…change is hope.” Upheaval and change create new opportunities—and these young writers are seizing them.

- David Weinstein, Founder, Write the World LLC